49 letters, one cannot fail to notice their markedly Marian character, characterized by submission to the Holy Spirit, religious discipline, fraternal love, concern for the salvation of souls, and assisting the deceased suffering in Purgatory, but most of all—by an individual and communal effort to give glory to God through striving for personal sanctifi cation, following the example of Mary. In the writings of Blessed George Matulaitis-Matulewicz, we see a similar vision of life, but put in more familiar terms. Sketching the Marian way of life in his General Idea and the Spirit of the Congregation, he states at the very beginning: “The motto of the Congregation is: ‘For Christ and the Church.’ Therefore, desiring to be imbued with the spirit of Christ and the Church, the members should try to seek God in all things, to please God in all things, to do all things for the greater glory of God and to bring God into everything, so that God would truly be the center of the life of the whole Congregation and of its individual members.”39 Reading and entering into the spirit of this document, as well as bearing in mind the other writings of the Blessed, one cannot fail to notice that he thought this way of life was possible on only one condition. This condition is to live Christian faith, hope, and charity zealously, and to strive for personal sanctifi cation and evangelical (religious) perfection. Further in the quoted document, Blessed George states: “They [the members] should always place their own sanctifi cation and perfection fi rst.”40 To support his argument, he promptly quotes excerpts from the Scriptures (N.B. some of them have been also quoted by Father Founder in his legislative texts). These quotes are: “This is the will of God, your holiness” (1 Thes 4:3); “What profi t would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Mt 16:26), and “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). The idea of the Marian way of life, outlined by these passages from the New Testament, is further emphasized in the consecutive parts of the General Idea, where Blessed George writes: “Hence they should all try to advance constantly in the way of perfection and divine service. Seeking their own perfection in everything they attempt, they should also consider how they might be able later to help others seek their salvation and sanctifi cation more effectively and easily.”41 It is fi tting to add that Fr. Renovator considered “deepening our spiritual lives”42 as fundamental for the true spiritual life, and he saw its essence in the imitation of Christ. In his Journal, he wrote: “Therefore, if I really want to follow in the footsteps of the saints, I, too, must make the goal of Christ’s life my own, and the instruments and means that He used must become mine as well.”43 39 GI, 1. 40 GI, 3. 41 Ibid., 4-5. 42 Cf. Journal, October 17, 1910, p. 33. 43 Ibid., October 15, 1910, p. 32.
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